Christmukkah
by englandoclova
Summary: It's Ryan's first Christmukkah but he has flu!
1. Chapter 1

This is a new story by me, just a fairly random one, not really very original, but hey!- theres loadsa stories like this for a reason yeah?

Enjoy, and please reply me friends…

Disclaimer- I own nothing to do with the OC.

In advance- sorry it's not my normal standard & isn't that original- it's really just something to stop me getting bored!

This is set during Season One, before Ryan's first Christmukkah…

It was December 23rd, and Sandy, Kirsten and Seth were sitting in front of an extravagant Roast in the dinning room. Nobody was eating though, they were waiting for Ryan, who was late, 15 minutes late, it wasn't like him to be late for anything- besides, he was only in the pool house, it wasn't like he could get stuck in traffic. Kirsten was getting anxious, Sandy a little worried, and Seth just plain hungry.

When Seth's stomach decided it could wait no longer for dinner, he leapt up:

"I'll go get Ryan!" he called as he hurried out to the pool house.

"Hey, dude, its Se…"

Seth was cut off mid-sentence as he jumped through the door at the site of Ryan, lying, pale as a sheet, shiny with fever, on his bed.

"Dude, are you OK?" Seth decided to ask a question he already knew the answer to, and doubted he'd get a response.

Ryan just moaned, only vaguely aware of Seth's presence. Seth's normal disgust at being near sick people vanished and he walked over to his foster brother.

"Ry, you know, if your sick, you should probably keep warm," Seth said, mainly to himself, as he pulled the quilt on top of Ryan. "I'm gonna go get mum and dad, kay?"

Seth got no response, but bustled out to get his parents anyway, not wanting to leave Ryan on his own for too long.

Sandy and Kirsten both looked up expectantly as Seth entered the main house again.

"Hey, mum, dad, Ryan's pretty sick, I think you should go check on him or something," Seth told them before they had a chance to ask, and they were both on their feet pretty quickly in response.

"What do you mean sick? Was he throwing up? Did he have a fever?" Kirsten's motherly instinct had taken over as she opened a cupboard in the kitchen, retrieving a thermometer and various bottles of medicines.

Sandy was already in the poolhouse, checking on his young charge.

"Hey kiddo, feeling a bit rough?" Sandy put a hand on Ryan's forehead, causing him to involuntarily flinch backwards. Man, the kid was burning up. "Hey, your alright kid, I'm not gonna hurt you, just need to get you settled and maybe a little more comfy, alright?" Sandy rubbed Ryan's back gentle, he didn't seem to flinch this time, only whimpered softly and feverishly. It was easy sometimes to forget he was only a kid, Sandy thought.

Ryan shivered lightly, causing Sandy to notice that the quilt Seth had covered Ryan with not five minutes before, was now in a little pile underneath him. "OK kid, I'm gonna lift you up gently so we can get this cover on you and warm you up," Sandy soothed as he gently lifted the feverish kid against his chest to retrieve the duvet. As he was doing so, Ryan gasped as if startled and grabbed a handful of his shirt.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, lets just pop you back down and get you warmed up again," Sandy didn't know why he was talking so patronisingly to Ryan, but he just felt like he should make up for all those times there must have been when he was a little kid and there hadn't been anyone there for him.

At that moment, Kirsten bustled in in full mother mode, Seth behind her, having been assigned to carry through about seven towels and blankets, as well as every remedy known to mankind.

"Oh honey, aren't you feeling well?" Kirsten swooped in on the bed, accidentally knocking Sandy away, much to Ryan's displeasure, as he had still been clinging helplessly to Sandy's shirt. Now that this little comfort had been removed, he seemed quite distressed, and his feverish displeasure was not improved when a thermometer was stuck beneath his tongue.

In fact, it took him so much by surprise that he buckled his head back, which in turn caused him to retch. Retch and throw-up all over his foster parents and the posh bedclothes that Sandy had just wrapped around him. On top of it all, the thermometer fell from his mouth and shattered all over the floor. He hated the sound of broken glass.

As Ryan regained his breath and looked around him, his glazed eyes darted around the pool house and he recognised it's occupant for the first time, focusing in on Seth, a vomit covered Sandy and Kirsten, and then his ruined bed, he gulped, what had he done?

"So-sorry," he mumbled weakly, surprised at how shaky his own voice was.

"Oh, sweetie, that's alright, nobody can help being ill," Kirsten was the first to lean in and rub his warm cheek reassuringly. Ryan dared not flinch, and his eyes darted nervously to Sandy.

"I-I ruined your poolhouse." Ryan said helplessly to one of the first men he had known who hadn't beat the crap out of him for no reason. "I-I'm gonna ruin your Christmukkah."

It was Sandy's turn now to reassure the poor boy.

"Ryan, nothing is ruined, even if it was, we don't care about that, we care about you, now why don't we get you cleaned up and you come sleep in the guest room tonight."

Ryan nodded, heaved himself out of the bed, and attempted to stumble to the bathroom. Sandy caught him just before he fell and held his shoulder firmly.

"How 'bout I give you a hand kid?" Ryan just nodded. He didn't have enough energy to resist the Cohen's parenting today…

TBC please let me know what ya think xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! Especially all my reviewers!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the OC.

As Sandy closed the door of the pool house bathroom behind him, Ryan swayed dangerously and grabbed desperately at his foster father's elbow. Sandy responded immediately by applying a soft, but strong and reassuring grip beneath each of Ryan's shoulders. Ryan looked up thankfully at Sandy as he allowed himself to be sat down on the side of the bathtub.

Sandy started to peel off Ryan's dirty vest. Ryan just sat solidly still, his eyes flashing nervously around the room.

"You alright there kiddo?"

Ryan's feverishly darting eyes stopped for a moment on Sandy. Sandy was undressing him. But Sandy would never do anything bad to him, right? Ryan knew in his heart that Sandy wouldn't, but he found it hard to trust anyone, even Sandy, at the best of times, let alone when he was feeling so vulnerable. Ryan nodded in response.

"I'm gonna go get you a new vest and sweats, OK? Don't worry buddy, your safe here with us, and if you promise to let us look after you, I'll promise to make sure Kirsten backs off on the mothering, got it?"

Ryan nodded again as Sandy ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You take off those sweats for me and have a wash if you can manage, alright?"

As Sandy entered the main part of the pool house again he peeled off his dirty shirt. Poor kid, it couldn't be easy being ill in a place that was still slightly alien.

"Yo, dad, mum said to give you this," Seth chucked him a fresh shirt, "she's gone to get changed and get the guest room ready for Ryan, then she's gonna be in full cleaning mode in here, how is Ryan? By the way."

"Fine. Well, not, but he'll survive. Hey Seth, you couldn't do me and your mother a massive favour and go pick up a new thermometer from the chemist could you?" Sandy replied to his son as he fastened his new shirt and retrieved a fresh outfit for Ryan.

"It's done dado," Seth disappeared through the door, leaving his father to wonder where on earth he picked up the phrase 'dado'.

Sandy returned to the bathroom to see a drawn Ryan kneeling in his boxers near the toilet.

"Hey there kid, don't worry, we'll get you sorted out." Sandy rubbed reassuring circles over Ryan's back as he emptied his guts into the toilet bowl.

"Think you're finished there?"

Ryan nodded.

"Okay then, well I've got some fresh clothes for you, why don't we get you cleaned up and dressed, then we can go through to the main house, Kirsten has made up a nice comfy bed for you in the guest room near our room so we can look out for you whilst your feeling rough, alright?"

"OK," Ryan mumbled weakly allowing Sandy to help him up. He started to wash his teeth and face. Sandy hovered behind him in case he fell. When Ryan had finished, Sandy lifted the fresh vest up for him.

"Need a hand with this kid?"

Ryan just nodded sadly and feebly as Sandy first pulled on his vest then helped him into his sweats.

"Lets get you settled in the guest room, then you can have some ginger ale to help your stomach, and your gonna have to try and eat something to, alright?"

Ryan grimaced at the thought of eating, and allowed himself to be lead through to the main house.

Soon after Ryan was settled into his temporary bedroom, with a large basin placed near his bed, Seth returned with the thermometer and Kirsten scuttled up to take poor Ryan's temperature.

"Hey, sweetie, have you been sick again? Sandy's making you some toast ok?"

Ryan just groaned barely awake. The moment Kirsten's hand lovingly smoothed the hair from his forehead, however, he gasped feverishly and shrank away from her, terrified.

"Oh, it's alright Ryan, it's me, Kirsten, you're safe here." Kirsten gently moved her hand away and Ryan allowed himself to be soothed by her voice.

"I'm just going to stick this thermometer in your mouth, alright, do you think you can lift up your tongue for me?"

Ryan obeyed, as his lips closed around the thermometer, his sleepy eyes looked up at Kirsten. _"Thank you"_ they said to her. Seth was right, Ryan really could purvey everything with a look.

After a few minutes of rubbing reassuring circles on Ryan's back, the thermometer beeped and Kirsten removed it from his mouth.

"102.1, oh baby, that's high, you must feel really yuck."

Ryan looked at her sadly _"yeah I do"_ his eyes told her.

"Oh, honey." She soothed.

Next part coming soon- it will have the bits you suggested SVOClova, and this chapter is dedicated to you.

Please read and Review people! xxx he he!


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